


The Wretched and the Joyful

by ultramarcypan



Category: Servamp (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Family Dynamics, Fluff, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-08 08:54:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7751230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultramarcypan/pseuds/ultramarcypan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because, despite whatever the world may think, they're just as human as anyone else.  But, even above that, they're family, first and foremost.</p>
<p>A series of one shots examining the C3 trio's friendship and lives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Say My Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Most people only get one dad.

It starts off as a joke.

In retrospect, Junichirou really shouldn’t be surprised. He’s been friends with Yumi and Tsurugi long enough to know that half the things that come out of their mouths are nonsense. Sometimes violent, sometimes confusing, but almost always nonsense that he can brush off easily, if not ignore completely. So, when Yumi makes the passing comment that it’s like Takuto has three dads, it takes a moment for his brain to register what his friend said.

“Eh?” He grunts, when he finally does process the remark. “I know math was never your favorite subject, Yumi, but I thought even you could count to three.” The squirming toddler in his lap demands his full attention, but he doesn’t have to look up to know that Yumi is scowling at him.

“Shut up,” comes the irritated growl, followed immediately by Tsurugi’s high pitched giggle. 

“Aww, Yumi-chan, do you need to borrow Takuto-kun’s number blocks?” Another growl, followed by a yelp, but Junichirou is busy trying to stop Takuto from crawling on top of his head.

“Can the both of you behave?” He asks, surrendering his glasses to his son. Anything to keep Takuto still for a few minutes is worth the temporary loss of sight. “I can only father one child at a time.”

“That’s what I was saying though!” Yumi protests, reaching out to tug Takuto into his own lap. The toddler stills instantly, cooing softly up at his friend, and Yumi rewards him with one of his rare, gentle smiles. 

“You were saying Jun-chan needs to father us?” Tsurugi grins broadly at Yumikage, who twitches at the dig but holds his temper in a remarkable display of self-discipline.

“No, stupid forehead, I was saying that the three of us are like fathers to Takuto.” A pause for a second, followed by, “Well, Jun actually _is_ his dad, but you and I are like his adopted dads.”

“So well spoken~” Tsurugi says, his voice teasing and light. He reaches out and plucks Jun’s glasses from tiny toddler fingers, and offers them back to his friend. Jun accepts them with a good natured roll of his eyes and a snort of laughter as Takuto latches onto Yumi’s jacket instead, jerking his friend’s head forward slightly with the motion. “What do you think, Takuto-kun? Would you like to have three papas?”

“Dear god, don’t say that,” Jun says. Tsurugi quirks an eyebrow and Yumi grunts in confusion, so Jun has no choice but to sigh and elaborate. “People might get the wrong idea.”

“Because we’ve always cared so much about what society thinks about us,” Yumi deadpans, and Tsurugi hums his agreement. “Seriously Jun, I don’t give a fu-,” He flounders for a moment, mouthing silently at the small, attentive child on his lap, and finally says “a fudge about what other people think about me.” His cheeks turn pink.

“Me too,” Tsurugi chimes in. “I also don’t give a fudge what people think,” he says, before rolling over to dodge the elbow that Yumi aims at his ribs. Takuto squeals in delight at the motion, releasing Yumi’s jacket to clap his hands together.

“Udge, ‘udge!” He babbles, holding his arms out for Tsurugi. 

“You two can’t be fathers when you’re still children yourselves,” Jun points out as Yumi passes his son to Tsurugi.

“We are plenty mature,” Yumi counters, brushing his hair off his shoulder with a huff.

“Those of us who passed math are, anyway,” Tsurugi adds, and he holds Takuto up as a human shield when Yumikage turns to him with murder in his eyes. The topic is dropped then, as Jun steps in to break up the fight between his three children good-naturedly.

*

Tsurugi, shockingly, is the one who brings it up again.

He does it in a very casual manner, working it so effortlessly into conversation that neither Yumi nor Jun realizes that he does it. In both of their defenses, they’ve just come off a shift of work, and the added job of being Tsurugi’s keeper tends to exhaust them more than actually hunting vampires does. Yumi is half asleep next to him on the couch and Jun can barely keep his eyes open as he watches Tsurugi sit with his son on the floor of his living room.

“C’mere Takuto-kun, come sit with me. Your dad and Papa Yumi are tired right now,” he says, beckoning at the toddler. Obediently, Takuto waddles right over to Tsurugi and collapses in his lap, and Jun can’t help the brief feeling of exasperation that floods through him at how his son listens to his two best friends better than he ever does his biological father.

“Papa Yumi had to babysit his idiot friend today,” Yumi groans from the far side of the couch, tossing a pillow blindly at Tsurugi. It falls short, and Tsurugi wastes no time picking it up and flinging it back.

“Papa Yumi is getting old if babysitting wears him out,” he counters, a small smile on his face, and Yumikage slumps over in defeat, letting his head fall with a thunk onto Jun’s shoulder.

“Papa Yumi needs to not break my shoulder, please and thank you,” Jun says, but there’s no bite behind his words, and the hand he reaches up to stroke Yumikage’s head with is far from threatening. 

“Papa Yumi, Papa Yumi!” Takuto chirps, pointing at Yumikage, who blinks at him slowly in confusion. Jun fixes Tsurugi with a hard stare, realizing what his friend has done.

“Why would you do that?” He asks helplessly, as Takuto continues his chant of ‘Papa Yumi’. “It’ll take a miracle to get him to stop.”

“Guess you gotta accept it now Jun-chan!” Tsurugi says cheerfully, pressing a kiss to the top of Takuto’s head. “Who’s that?” He asks the toddler, pointing at Jun.

“Papa!” Takuto chirps, clapping his hands.

“Right! And who’s that?” Tsurugi laughs, pointing at Yumikage.

“Papa Yumi!” Comes the enthusiastic answer, and Tsurugi laughs again. Yumi is fighting off a smile, turning to bury his face further into Jun’s shoulder.

“And who am I?” He asks, pointing at himself. Takuto makes a grab for his finger, latching onto it.

“Papa Tsu-tsu!”

“You’re so smart Takuto-kun!” Tsurugi praises, tickling the toddler’s tummy. Takuto shrieks with laughter, collapsing against his ‘papa’ breathlessly. Yumi’s not bothering to hide his grin anymore as he slips down onto the floor to join his friend.

“Don’t worry Takuto, Papa Yumi will save you from the idiot forehead,” he says, and Takuto crawls across Tsurugi’s lap to seek sanctuary in Yumi’s arms.

“Both of you are terrible,” Jun informs them. “He’s never going to stop now.”

“Good,” Tsurugi and Yumikage say in unison, before they turn and grin at each other.

“Papa Yumi, Papa Tsu-tsu!” Takuto adds, curling against Yumi’s chest. Tsurugi takes the toddlers momentary distraction to dive forward and continue his tickle assault. Takuto shrieks and Yumi bats Tsurugi’s hands away, and from there on, it’s an all out tickle war.

It’s too late, as the toddler has adamantly taken to the nicknames, but watching Takuto’s face light up with joy every time he calls for one of his papa’s is enough to make Jun surrender any concerns about the situation. _Fudge it_ , he decides, a small smile on his face as he watches his friends and son play on the floor. Yumi and Tsurugi have always been a part of his family, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all really don't understand how weak I am for these three idiots. Please. Please let them be happy.


	2. The Best Medicine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsurugi is sick, and he’s really lucky that Jun and Yumi have the patience of saints.

“Uwahhhhh, I’m gonna die.”

“You’re being melodramatic,” Jun says, without looking up from the pot he’s stirring. 

“I’m not,” comes the feeble protest from the couch. Tsurugi sniffles and coughs, curling in on himself. “This is how it’s going to end for me.” A sneeze punctuates his sentence and he buries his face into the cushions with a groan.

“Please, snot all over the pillows. You may have missed a spot.” Yumikage swats Tsurugi squarely on the back before collapsing on the opposite end of the couch.

“It’s not like want to,” Tsurugi whines, voice muffled against the upholstery. “It’s terrible being sick!”

“No shit,” Yumi says, rolling his eyes at the prone figure of his friends. “It’s almost like sneezing and coughing non stop is a bad thing.” Weakly, Tsurugi aims a kick at Yumikage, who catches his foot mid-swing, dropping it unceremoniously on his lap. 

“You should be nicer to the invalid,” Tsurugi informs him, twisting to glare at the other with watery eyes. Yumikage swats him again, gentler this time, and doesn’t pull his hand away after he lands the blow. Instead, he lets his hand rest against the small of Tsurugi’s back, rubbing small circles soothingly.

“Brat,” he says, but there’s an underlying note of fondness in his voice. “You are the actual worst when you get sick.” Tsurugi opens his mouth to protest but is cut of by a cough that leaves him breathless and flushed.

“You really are,” Jun agrees, reaching over to shut the burner off on the stove. There’s clattering as he rummages in the kitchen, and then he’s standing in front of the couch, a bowl of hot soup in his hand. “Now eat your soup and be quiet.”

“Yes mother,” Tsurugi says, with a grin and a sneeze. “Thank you for the soup.” Yumi makes a noise of distaste and Jun rolls his eyes. It takes Tsurugi a few moments to sit up properly and accept the proffered bowl of soup, but he does manage. He scoots so that he’s sitting in the middle of the couch, and Jun moves to claim the edge of the couch he’s just vacated. The three of them settle back against the cushions, the calm silence only broken by the clink of a spoon against the soup bowl and quiet slurps and sniffs from Tsurugi.

When he’s finished, Tsurugi leans forward and places the now empty bowl on the coffee table before them before collapsing back against the couch and leaning into Yumikage.

“Oh hell no,” comes the irritated snarl. “I am not going to be your human tissue.” Yumikage attempts to dislodge Tsurugi with an elbow to the ribs, but he refuses to budge.

“Don’t be mean to the sick, Yumi,” Jun says, a small smile on his lips. He reaches a hand out to ruffle Tsurugi’s hair affectionately.

“You be the pillow, then,” comes the grumpy retort, but already Yumi surrenders to his new role as a human body pillow, shifting to wrap an arm around Tsurugi’s shoulders.

“I have a kid at home,” Jun reminds. “I don’t need to care for a sick toddler on top of a sick Tsurugi.”

“You don’t want to get Takuto-kun sick, do you Yumi-chan?” Tsurugi has to audacity to ask cheekily, before he has to turn away to sneeze violently. The blonde makes a face but all he does is pluck a tissue from the nearby box and hold it up to his friends nose.

“Blow, stupid forehead.” 

Tsurugi, for once in his life, listens without a smart remark. When he pulls away, Yumi lobs the dirty tissue in the direction of the trash can, before turning to Jun. “Tell me you have hand sanitizer on you.”

“I do,” Jun reassures, reaching into his jacket pocket. While he’s fishing out the tiny bottle of sanitizer, his fingers brush against something else in his pocket and he makes a quiet noise of surprise. He pulls both objects out of his pocket, tossing the sanitizer at Yumi and turning over the other in his hands. “Almost forgot,” he says, staring at the colorful paper in his hands. “Takuto made a ‘Get Well Soon’ card for you.” 

The look on Tsurugi’s face is strange, like he can’t decide weather he want’s to laugh or to cry. He goes remarkably still against Yumi and eyes the card Jun is holding like it may bite him if he reaches out for it. The second passes, and Tsurugi manages to regain his composure and slip on a smile as a mask as he takes the card.

The writing is barely legible, and the card is lumpy with glitter glue and stickers. There are two stick figures scribbled on the inside of the card, which Tsurugi can only assume is meant to be him and Takuto, just above the words ‘Hop you fel beter!’ 

He can feel his friend's eyes on him and swallows around the lump in his throat, hoping that he can pass it off as a cough. “At least Takuto-kun will miss me when I die,” he says, and he’s proud of how steady he keeps his voice. “He’s far more caring than you two are.”

“I made you soup,” Jun counters automatically at the same moment Yumi yells “YOU’RE USING ME AS A FUCKING PILLOW!” Tsurugi laughs, and it’s high pitched, almost unnaturally so, but he’ll blame it on his cold if he’s called on it.

“You’re not a very comfy pillow,” he informs Yumikage. “You yell too much and you’re kinda bony.” Yumi sputters for a moment at the absurdity of that comment, and Tsurugi takes the opportunity to shift the focus away from his own too bright eyes and trembling fingers. “And your hair keeps tickling my nose and I keep sneezing into it.” It’s a lie, but Yumi has always been the type of person to let emotion rule over logic.

He leans forward to stand the card next to the soup bowl on the coffee table as Yumi launches into a predictable tirade of swears and threats to send him sprawling onto the floor. Jun watches him, eyes narrowed suspiciously, and for a second Tsurugi is afraid he might say something, but all he does is sigh and reach for a blanket to pull over the three of them. Tsurugi closes his eyes and lets Yumi’s yelling (a strange, constant comfort in his life) lull him to sleep.

*

Afterwards, when Yumi and Jun have left for the night, Tsurugi drags himself off of the couch and stretches, taking satisfaction in the way his back pops. His eyes wander back to the coffee table and the innocent card still lying on top of it. He hesitates for a moment before tentatively reaching out and picking it up off the table.

He carries it with him, all the way to his bedroom where he stands it up on his dresser before frowning. Not many people come to visit Tsurugi, but those who do have no business knowing about this card and what it means to him.

Mind made up, Tsurugi opens his dresser drawer and begins to dig through it. With great care, he wraps the card up in an old shirt of his where it will be safe from prying eyes, and buries it at the bottom of his dresser before slipping into bed.

When he gets a call from Jun in the morning, it’s a child’s voice that greets him and asks him if he’s feeling better. Tsurugi thinks of the warm soup Jun had made for him, of Yumi’s arm wrapped around his shoulders, of sleeping in a blanket nest between his best friends and of the card buried at the bottom of his drawer and though his chest feels tight, his nose isn’t stuffed up any longer and he didn’t wake up from a coughing fit in the middle of the night. It’s not a lie when he says, “Yeah, I am Takuto-kun. I think your card may have cured me.”


	3. Pieces of You and Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharing is caring, or so they say, so Jun and Yumi must care an awful lot if it's true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beware of spoilers

When Tsurugi arrives at school, he settles down into his desk only to feel a tap on his shoulder a moment later. When he turns around, there’s a faded green backpack being thrust into his face, and he has to blink to get it to focus. Holding the backpack is the boy who sits right behind him, the one he saved in the alleyway just the other day.

“Here,” the boy says, and Tsurugi blinks again and turns his eyes to the other’s face. The boy is blushing, his face almost the same shade as his hair, but he meets Tsurugi’s eyes steadily. “You shouldn’t walk around with a ripped up backpack.” He jerks his chin in the direction of Tsurugi’s bag, which is missing a strap and has several holes in it. Tsurugi stares, first at his own bag and then at the one in the other boy’s hand. “Go on.”

Hesitantly, he reaches out and takes the backpack. The cotton is warm in his hands; the bag has clearly been used before, but it’s in far better shape than his own bag and has a clean smell and soft feel to it. It takes him a moment to remember that social etiquette dictates he should say something in response. “Thank you,” he says, his voice soft and hoarse.

“We should be thanking you,” comes a gruff voice from behind him, and then a hand slaps Tsurugi squarely on the back. He flinches from the touch before he can stop himself, jerking around only to come face to face with the other boy he’d saved in the alley.

“Don’t be so violent, Yumikage,” the redhead behind him reprimands, and the tall boy standing in front of his desk grunts in acknowledgement. “Don’t mind him,”--this directed at Tsurugi again--“He’s just terrible at showing off how he feels.”

“Shut up Junichirou,” the tall boy, Yumikage, snaps back, and Junichirou holds up his hands in surrender. 

“Ah….” Tsurugi’s not sure who’s more surprised that he makes a sound, Junichirou and Yumikage or himself. “You’re….welcome,” he manages to get out as two pairs of eyes focus on him intently. Yumikage grunts again and Junichirou offers him a small smile. The interaction is cut short when the teacher arrives and calls the class to attention; it’s only after several minutes have passed that Tsurugi realizes he's still holding on tightly to the backpack Junichirou had given him.

*

The next day, it’s not a backpack that’s being shoved in Tsurugi’s face; it’s a jacket, and it isn’t shoved so much as it is lobbed at his head in the middle of their lunch break. It hits him dead on and falls to form a puddle of cotton in his lap.

“Yumi.” Tsurugi doesn’t have to turn around this time to know that Junichirou is the one scolding Yumikage. 

“I thought he’d have better reflexes than that,” Yumi shrugs, but there’s a telling pink color rising on his cheeks. “He fights like he does anyway.”

“And what do you know about fighting?” Junichirou raises his eyebrows, and Tsurugi has to keep shifting in his chair as the two of them continue their back and forth.

“More than you!” Is the irritated response as Yumi aims a kick at the leg of Junichirou’s chair. In retaliation, Junichirou flicks some grains of rice at him from his own bento box.

“Um...jacket?” It’s still surprising to Tsurugi that two people would turn and give him their immediate attention, and he can’t form a more coherent question than that with their eyes trained on him.

“Yours has a huge hole in the sleeve, and the zipper is busted.” Yumi says like it explains everything. Thankfully, Junichirou steps in to interpret.

“He’s giving you his old jacket,” he supplies helpfully, and Yumi nods his agreement. Tsurugi can feel his eyes go wide, can feel the flush that creeps up his neck and his mouth dropping open in surprise. 

“You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want,” Yumikage says, shifting his weight uncomfortably. “I just-”

“No!” It’s the loudest Tsurugi’s ever gotten his voice to go, and all three of them jump at the sound. “No,” he says again, quieter this time, holding the jacket close to his chest. “I want it.” And to prove his point, he shrugs his old, battered jacket off and starts to tug the new one on. It’s a faded dark blue color and it smells faintly of peppermint. The inside is lined with soft fur that’s worn thin in spots but still comfortable and warm to curl up in. It’s also a bit too big on Tsurugi; the sleeves swallow his hands entirely and it almost completely covers his hips.

“Holy crap, you’re tiny,” Yumi breathes, staring Tsurugi up and down. Junichirou flicks more rice at him, but he brushes it off carelessly. “Do you even eat at all?”

“You don’t have any lunch today, do you, Kamiya-kun?” Junichirou asks, frowning slightly. Reflexively, Tsurugi shakes his head before he catches himself and looks down at the sleeves of his new jacket. There’s silence for a moment, and then a scraping sound as Junichirou slides his bento box across his desk towards Tsurugi. “That’s okay; you can share mine.”

“Thank god,” Yumi blurts out, and the two turn to look at him. “I’m sicking of you flicking your rice at me,” he says defensively, and Junichirou lets out a snort of laughter. Yumi tugs his desk closer, and the two of them begin to bicker good naturedly. Tsurugi watches the two of them, tentatively picking bits and pieces from Junichrou’s offered bento box, and he doesn’t notice when his own lips quirk up into a small smile.

*

From then on, Tsurugi begins to amass a number of hand-me-downs from Jun and Yumi. Some of them come directly from the two boys themselves, and are usually presented in a less than elegant sort of manner (Yumi in particular is terrible about this). Other gifts are slipped discreetly into his bag (which is really Jun’s old one) after he visits their houses, or is pressed into his hands by Jun or Yumi’s mothers with a smile and the assurance of, “Oh, please take it. It’ll get much more use from you than it will lying around here.”

He keeps them all in his room, tucked away in nooks and crannies that only he knows about. A watch shoved under his mattress, some books under his pillowcase, a pair of mittens rolled together and wrapped in one of his school shirts; every so often, Tsurugi will take all his treasures out and sort them, before carefully returning all of them to their hiding spots.

Tsurugi loves each and every one of the gifts.

*

“You talk about the two of them a lot.” Touma’s voice is flat and Tsurugi freezes. When he looks up, the older man is staring at the green backpack Jun gave him ages ago, which is slung across the back of his desk chair. Tsurugi decides to risk playing dumb.

“Who?” He asks quietly, and Touma gives him a sharp look that has him flinching back.

“Tsukimitsu Yumikage and Kurumamori Junichirou,” Touma says, and there’s an undercurrent to his words that makes a chill run up Tsurugi’s spine.

“Oh.” He picks at his bedsheets. “Well, yeah. They’re my best friends.”

“Are they where you’re getting all these…” Touma pauses for a moment before gesturing at the backpack, “All these things from?” Tsurugi knows better than to lie to the older man, couldn’t if he wanted to, but he also has a terrible, terrible feeling deep down in the pit of his stomach. He settles for a half truth instead.

“Some of them,” he admits, and it’s not a full blown lie. Touma doesn’t need to know that the other things have been gifts from his friends’ families, after all. “Yumi-chan and Jun-chan are very nice to me,” he says in a small voice. 

“Chan?” Touma says sharply, and Tsurugi recognizes his mistake too late. “Awfully affectionate for a wild animal like you.” The older man snorts. “Is that all it takes to win you over? Some fake friendships and some hand-me-downs?”

 _Yes!_ Tsurugi wants to scream. _Yes! That’s all I want! And they’re not fake friends, they’re not, they’re NOT!_

Instead, he keeps his gaze trained downward and says to his sheets in a small voice, “It’s just old stuff.” Even if they are the most important things he’s ever been given in his life.

“Hmm.” Touma grunts and turns to leave the room. Tsurugi hopes against hope that that will be the last of the issue.

*

Tsurugi knows immediately that something is wrong when he gets back from his trip to Jun’s house. His fears prove justified when he heads to his room and he finds it ripped apart.

He doesn’t have to look to know not a single one of his treasures remains, but he does so--just in case fate cut him some slack. By the time he’s cleaned up the mess, he hasn’t recovered anything. It’s only then that he notices that his school books have been dumped on the floor, and Jun’s old backpack is also missing. Yumi’s old jacket, which he’d kept rolled up inside the bag, is also gone.

Blinking back tears, he goes to dig his old backpack and jacket out from the back of his closet.

*

“Hey Tsurugi, we-” Jun cuts his greeting off abruptly as he takes in the sight of his friend. “What’s wrong?” And then, without giving Tsurugi a chance to say anything, “What happened to your bag?”

“Good question.” Yumi has stood up and moved so that he’s resting against the front of Tsurugi’s desk. The taller boy is frowning at him, and Tsurugi can’t meet his friend’s gaze. “And where’s your jacket?” Tsurugi stares resolutely at the tile floor in front of him, willing his eyes to stop burning and his heart to stop pounding.

“Tsurugi.” A pair of feet come into his field of vision, and he knows that Jun is staring at him. “What’s wrong?” More gently this time than before. For the first time ever, Tsurugi wants to tell someone what happened, but he doesn’t know if he has the words or the strength to.

“Touma,” he starts, and that’s all he manages to get out before a sob bubbles up and out of his throat. His shoulders shake with hiccuping sobs that he can’t seem to stop, and he buries his face in his arms so that his tears don’t spill so obviously down.

“Oi!” Yumi’s voice is alarmed and then there’s a hand pressing down on his shoulder. Tsurugi jumps as a pair of arms wraps around him, and then he’s pressed up against the scratchy cotton of their school shirts as Jun crushes him in a hug.

“Don’t cry,” Jun says softly, and it’s more of a plea than an order. Tsurugi tries his best to comply, clamping his mouth down on the pitiful sounds escaping him and wiping hard at his eyes.

“Sorry,” he blubbers, only he’s not quite sure what he’s apologizing for. Yumi and Jun don’t seem to mind.

“S’not your fault.” The hand on his shoulder squeezes and Jun hums in agreement.

It takes several minutes for Tsurugi to calm down, and even when he does Jun only steps back a few inches and Yumi’s hand doesn’t leave his shoulder. “I’m okay,” he reassures his friends quietly. Yumi and Jun exhange a look, and some sort of understanding passes between them, but Tsurugi has no idea what it could mean and not brave enough to ask.

“Okay,” They say in unison and, having no power over the matter, return to their seats silently to wait for the lesson to start.

*

The very next day, Tsurugi has a weird sense of deja-vu as he’s smacked in the face by a jacket when he sits down. This time, he knows Yumi’s the one who’s thrown it at him and stares up at his friend in wide eyed confusion.

“I can’t,” he starts to say, but Yumi cuts him off by tugging at the ripped up jacket he has on. 

“Give me,” His friend demands bossily, and Tsurugi is so stunned that he surrenders his jacket without a fight, letting Yumi slip it on. “We’re borrowing each other’s jackets.” The tone Yumi takes leaves little room for discussion on the matter, and Tsurugi turns to Jun helplessly.

“You are,” his other friend informs him with a grin. “And we’re borrowing each others bags.” And it’s only now that Tsurugi’s realized that Jun had taken advantage of his momentary distraction to snatch his bag from under his desk and being swapping their books.

“We can’t!” He cries, and his voice cracks with emotion. “Touma-”

“Can’t say anything if we’re just borrowing things from each other.” Jun finishes, looking proud of himself.

“He can try,” Yumikage growls. “My brother will have something to say about it if he starts tossing my clothes out.” The two of them exchange another look and Tsurugi realizes abruptly that the two of them had plotted this. For the second day in a row, another tiny sob escapes his throat, and the two of them pause to look at him.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to, Tsurugi.” Jun says quietly, even though Yumi looks like he very much disagrees with that statement. Tsurugi shakes his head.

“No,” he says, and though his voice is wobbly, his smile is bright. “Friends are supposed to borrow things from each other, right?”

Jun and Yumi return his smile with equally bright ones of their own. “Right,” they agree.

*

“Is that my jacket?” Yumi’s eyes are narrowed at Tsurugi, boring holes into the brown sheepskin coat he has on. Tsurugi flashes him a grin.

“Yes,” he says shamelessly. “And before you yell at me, Yumi-chan, I’d like to point out that you’re wearing my watch and Jun’s sweatpants.”

Yumikage’s mouth, which had been half open and ready to yell, snaps shut. “Am I really?”

“You are,” Jun calls from the couch, tilting his head to look at his two friends. “But if it makes you feel better I’m wearing one of your t-shirts,” he offers. He blinks for a moment and then looks down at his feet. “And I’m like ninety percent sure these are Tsurugi’s socks.”

Tsurugi makes a face. “You can keep the socks, Jun-chan.”

“Thanks, Tsurugi,” his friend deadpans, rolling off the couch to head to the door of Yumi’s apartment. “Are you two finally ready to go?”

“He took my coat,” Yumi mutters petulantly, still examining the sweatpants he has on.

“Don’t act like we haven’t been wearing each others clothes since elementary school.” Jun plucks a jacket off the coat rack and lobs it at Yumi, who manages to not get smacked in the face by it. “Just wear his instead.”

“Why can’t he wear his?” Yumi complains, even as he’s pulling Tsurugi’s jacket on over his head. Jun throws his hand up in the universal sign that he’s done with their bickering and heads out the front door with the mild threat of leaving them behind tossed over his shoulder. Tsurugi snickers and Yumi glares at him.

“I like yours,” he says simply, by way of explanation, heading to the door himself. “And besides,” he adds, offering his friend a small smile, “Aren’t friends supposed to borrow things from each other?”

Yumi’s scowl softens at that and he moves so that he’s standing next to Tsurugi. “Yeah,” he agrees casually, tossing an arm around his shoulder as the two of them hurry to catch up with Jun. “I guess they are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello yes, writing about baby C3 has slain me. These nerdlords, I swear to god.
> 
> As promised, this chapter is dedicated to haloud, because we had like a four hour screaming fest about this idea the other day and it was beautiful. I hope you enjoy, friend.


	4. Mirror Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the prettiest of them all? Hint: it’s not Yumi-chan.

“Not fair, Yumi-chan!” Tsurugi’s eyes go wide and his lower lip wobbles, and if Yumi hadn’t known him for years, he might actually be buying into the kicked puppy act. “I wanted to be blue!”

“Too bad,” Yumi says, a lack of sympathy in his voice. “You can be purple,” he adds, jerking his head in the direction of the costume jewelry on the floor. Next to him, Takuto is sorting his own green jewelry pieces neatly in front of him, with the earrings at the top and the necklace at the bottom.

“I don’t want to be purple,” Tsurugi whines, taking a swipe at Yumi’s jewelry. His efforts earn him a slap on the wrist and a warning growl.

“Would you prefer to be pink?” Jun drawls, stretching his legs out in front of him. “Because I would be willing to trade you.”

Tsurugi doesn’t get a chance to consider the offer, because Takuto looks up and shakes his head quickly. “No Papa! You-you gotta be pink.” He says, nodding like that’s final.

“Okay,” Jun soothes, and Takuto turns back to his own plastic pieces. “Sorry Tsurugi, but you heard him.”

“He makes a good point--it does kinda match your hair,” Yumi says thoughtfully, looking between the pink jewelry set and his friend. Jun gives him a look, and he shrugs in return. He turns back just in time to see Tsurugi attempting to make off with his own blue ring. “Swear to god, Tsurugi!”

“Hahaha, sorry Yumi-chan~” He says, not looking the least bit apologetic. Irritably, Yumi knocks his pieces back into place.

“You want green, Papa Tsu-tsu?” Takuto asks, holding out his own bracelet for Tsurugi to take. The three adults blink, staring at the toddler sitting with them. Takuto blinks innocently, and Jun makes a choked sound in the back of his throat.

“None of us deserve this child,” Yumi mumbles under his breath as Jun clears his throat and Tsurugi leans in to accept the bracelet.

“Takuto-kun, you are the sweetest,” Tsurugi says, a genuine smile on his face. “But I don’t want to take your favorite color from you, so how about we share instead?” Takuto tilts his head to the side, and Tsurugi scoops up his own purple bracelet. “Let’s trade,” he says, and Takuto grins toothily at his adopted father.

“‘Kay!” The toddler says brightly, taking the bracelet from Tsurugi. “I like sharing better anyway,” he says, and Yumi chokes on air while Tsurugi coos at the child. Next to him, he can hear Jun mumbling something that sounds a lot like, ‘Thank you, god. Thank you so much.’  
When he manages to get his breathing under control again, Yumi says, “I don’t think that’s how this game works.” Jun quirks an eyebrow at him and Tsurugi rolls his eyes. “Actually, how does this game work?”

“You mean to say that you’ve never played Pretty Pretty Princess before, Yumi-chan?” Tsurugi asks, letting out a mock gasp of horror. If looks could kill, he would be dead ten times over from the glare Yumi gives him.

“You gotta spin,” Takuto supplies helpfully, handing Yumi the spinner. “And you gotta get all the pieces. But not the black ring!” He says, poking the offending piece with his finger. “You can’t win if you have the black ring.”

“Why don’t you go first, so Yumi can see how it’s done?” Jun suggests, trying not to smirk when Yumi directs his glare at him.

“Okay,” Takuto agrees and reaches out to twist the knob of the jewelry box spinner. The hand lands on the picture of a ring, and the child slips his own green ring onto his finger. “Your turn, Papa.” Jun spins, and it lands on a picture of earrings.

“Lookin’ good Jun-chan,” Tsurugi cheers as Jun clips on the pair of pink plastic earrings, and Takuto giggles.

“Spin, Tsurugi,” Jun orders, a faint trace of red creeping up his neck. Tsurugi obeys, and the hand stops on the picture of the ring.

“Look Takuto-kun,” he says as he slips on his own purple ring. “We match!”

“Alright, I see how this goes,” Yumi says, reaching for the spinner himself.

“I would hope so, considering the game is made for those ages four and up,” Jun says dryly. Yumi snorts and spins, reaching out to pick up his blue bracelet that matches what it turns up.

“Bet I’ll be a prettier princess then you, Yumi-chan,” Tsurugi taunts, waving his hand with the ring in front of Yumi’s face--and that, of course, means war.

*

In a twist of fate, it’s Jun who actually gets to be crowned the Pretty Pretty Princess. He accepts his title graciously, ducking down to let Takuto place the silver plastic crown on his head. Tsurugi claps, and, after a moment’s hesitation, Takuto and Yumi join in. Jun dips his head in a slight bow. “Thank you, thank you, my loyal subjects.”

“You’d make a terrible princess,” Yumi informs his friend as they all begin to shed the pieces of jewelry. Takuto scoops up all the rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings and dumps them back into the jewelry box.

“Go put that up, and then I’ll make you lunch,” Jun says to his son, and Takuto nods and heads off to his bedroom with the game box. “And don’t be a sore loser Yumi.”

“I would have won if I hadn’t gotten the stupid black ring.” Yumi complains, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why do you even own this game?”

“Takuto liked the rings on the box,” Jun says with a shrug. “And you don’t have room to talk about a boy wearing jewelry, Yumi.”

“It _is_ a little bit ironic that the only one of us who crossdresses didn’t get to win the title of Pretty Pretty Princess,” Tsurugi agrees, springing up on his feet. “Could it be that you’re just jealous Yumi-chan?” Yumikage is up in an instant, eyes flashing. Tsurugi lets out a shriek of laughter and takes off down the hall after Takuto, with Yumikage hot on his heels. There’s a squeal followed by a thud, and then a fair bit of yelling mixed in with a child’s laughter. Jun sighs, but he’s fighting off a smile as he gets up to go make them all lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in case anyone's wondering, Pretty Pretty Princess is a real game. [Here's the proof.](https://www.amazon.com/Pretty-Princess-Dress-Up-Board-Game/dp/B00000IWHP) And yes, I own it and I love it so, so much.


	5. Naptime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is no escape from the nap pile.

“Our son wants your attention,” Jun mumbles as he shifts on the picnic blanket they’ve laid out. He groans and rolls over, trying desperately to ignore the small hands that are prodding him persistently.

“While we’re trying to nap, he’s _your_ son,” Yumi counters, and Tsurugi makes a soft noise of agreement, curling in on himself.

“Papa Yumi,” Takuto says brightly, and then the breath is knocked out of Yumikage as the full weight of the toddler plants itself right on his ribs.

“Takuto disagrees.” Jun’s not facing them, but Yumi would put money on the fact that his friend has a wide smirk on his face. Yumi groans as the toddler shifts his weight, sharp knees digging into delicate flesh.

“C’mere Takuto-kun,” Tsurugi mumbles, reaching out blindly towards the toddler. Takuto turns, slipping down off of Yumi and crawling into Tsurugi’s open arms. “I’ll snuggle with you.” The toddler giggles as Tsurugi closes his arms tightly around him, trapping him in the embrace. 

“Noooooo,” Takuto says, drawing out the word in a whine. “Wanna play!”

“Takuto,” Jun starts, and his voice is a mix of exasperation and fondness. “Aren’t you even the littlest bit tired?”

“Nope!” Comes the joyful chirp. “Play, play!” Takuto says, squirming against Tsurugi’s hold.

“Sorry kiddo, but it’s nap time,” Yumi says, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. The toddler lets out a small whine, still twisting around in Tsurugi’s arms.

“Don’t wanna,” he says, and his voice trembles slightly. Jun stiffens on the other side of Yumi and begins to mentally prepare himself to deal with a crying child. Tsurugi, bless him, intervenes quickly.

“Oh?” He asks, shifting so that he has a better grasp on the squirming toddler. “Well, if you want to go play, you’re gonna have to escape from my grasp!” He declares, and then proceeds to smush Takuto against him. The toddler grunts, then giggles despite himself and begins to renew his efforts to break free from the embrace.

Yumi cracks an eye open to watch the ensuing struggle and the blanket behind him shifts as Jun twists back around and props himself up on his elbow to join him in his spectation. Tsurugi is thrashing and rolling around, doing a highly effective job of keeping Takuto pinned, but not for lack of trying on the toddler’s part. He’s just managed to worm one of his arms free to push against Tsurugi’s shoulder when his friend lets out a dramatic gasp.

“Help me, Yumi-chan, he’s too strong!” Tsurugi wails dramatically, letting his arms slip slightly from around Takuto’s small frame.

“ ‘m on it,” Yumi says, and though his voice is still heavy with exhaustion, his movement when he scoots forward to pin Takuto between him and Tsurugi is fluid. His arms loop around Tsurugi and wrap around his friends thin shoulders, trapping the child in the tangle of their arms.

“Not fair!” Takuto cries, though he’s breathless with laughter and squealing in delight. “Not fair, not fair Papa Yumi!”

“Hmm?” Yumi asks, dipping his head down to nuzzle against the toddler. “I’m not being fair?” In an abrupt moment, he places his lips against Takuto’s shoulder and blows, lips buzzing against soft skin. Takuto shrieks in joy and twists around to escape from the ticklish assault. “How about that?”

“That’s playing dirty, Yumi,” Jun remarks amusedly. “I’m impressed.”

“Help, Papa!” Takuto demands, trying to crane his head up to look at his father.

“You want me to help?” Jun asks, sitting up properly on the blanket. 

“Yes!” Takuto says, around a giggle. Tsurugi’s clever hands found their way to his ribs, and are tickling him mercilessly. “Help me!”

“Alright,” Jun says, and then he’s crawling towards his trapped son. There’s a brief moment where Yumi and Tsurugi catch a glimpse of their friend’s face, and they know what he’s going to do right before he does so. They both brace for impact as Jun flops on top of them, letting most of his weight rest on his friends and completely encasing Takuto beneath him; his son’s betrayed cry of ‘papa!’ gets muffled against his shirt. “Is this helping?”

Tsurugi bursts out into hysterical giggles from the other side of Jun, and Yumi’s shoulders shake with silent laughs of his own. Buried beneath them somewhere, they can just make out Takuto’s response of ‘no.’

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Jun says. He rolls off to the side, coming to rest just behind Tsurugi. “I tried my best.”

The snort that Takuto lets out makes Yumi proud, and tells the three of them that he doesn’t believe that for a single moment. “Are you tired now, Takuto-kun?” Tsurugi probes, when his giggle fit has subsided somewhat.

“No,” the toddler says, before his mouth opens in a wide yawn. “Maybe a little,” he amends, snuggling against Yumi’s chest.  
“How about this,” Jun says, fighting off a yawn of his own. “All of us take a short nap right now, and when we get we can play some more. Does that sound fair?”

Takuto mumbles something, already half asleep, hands clutching tightly to the material of Yumi’s t-shirt. “After all that fuss,” Jun mutters, yawning again.

“Quick,” Tsurugi says, scooting closer to Takuto and wrapping his arms around the toddler’s waist. “Let’s all lie back down before he gets up. I don’t know if I have another tickle fight left in me.”

“Weakling,” Yumi taunts, even as he’s settling back down against the others. He reaches his arm out across Tsurugi, groping blindly for Jun’s arm. When he finally manages to find it, he latches on and tugs his friend closer. “C’mon, everyone into the nap pile.”

“Nap pile, Yumi? Really?” There’s a smile in Jun’s voice as he lets himself be pulled closer to his friends and family, letting one of his arms loop around Tsurugi’s waist.

“I like the nap pile,” Tsurugi volunteers, as Yumi drops his arm next to Jun’s. “It’s warm and comfortable.” He sighs as he snuggles closer against Takuto. “You guys make great pillows,” he mumbles drowsily, and even Yumi can’t dredge up the irritation to swat him.

They stay like that for a while, content to let the sun warm them, the wind tickle their skin, and enjoy the silent comfort of one another's presence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up everyone, I'm going out of town for a few days and won't be able to update. I do promise when I get back, I'll have like another 9 chapters set to go though, lol.


	6. Embrace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not one of his papa's hugs him the same, and Takuto is fine with that.

Takuto likes hugs.

There’s something comforting about another pair of arms wrapping around him and pulling him close. He likes being able to press his face up against someone’s chest, to cuddle against the warmth of the other and hear their heart thump steadily under their ribs.

And the three people who he loves to hug the most all have very different ways of hugging him.

His Papa tends to give him one armed hugs, letting him curl up against his side with his hand squeezing hard on his shoulder. He gets lots of hugs from his Papa; all he ever has to do is hold his arms out and his Papa scoops him up, crushing him against his side in his unique one armed hug. Takuto hugs his Papa a lot. They tend to sit like that right before bedtime, as he’s read a bedtime story, or when they’re lounging on the couch on a rare lazy morning, watching cartoons in their pajamas. His Papa smells like cinnamon and the silk shirts he’s so fond of wearing slide against Takuto’s cheek and make him giggle with the sensation.

Papa Yumi’s hugs are a different thing entirely. Takuto doesn’t get hugs from him quite as often as he does his Papa, but they do happen fairly regularly. Yumi is almost always willing to oblige Takuto when he bounds over with his arms outstretched. He scoops the toddler up in his arms, crushing him in a bone tight embrace that knocks the breath out of Takuto in a whoosh. More often than not, Takuto finds himself lifted off the ground from the force of the hug, and it never fails to make him shriek with laughter. Papa Yumi’s shirts always have a faint trace of mint to them and his jacket is so loose that Takuto ends up pressed to the fur lined inside. The hugs he gets from Papa Yumi are tight and breath taking and he loves hearing Yumi’s rumbling laugh when he’s caught in his arms and trapped against his chest.

And Papa Tsu-tsu’s hugs are probably the most unique kind of hugs that Takuto gets. Papa Tsu-tsu doesn’t hug him as much as his Papa and Papa Yumi do; sometimes, Takuto has to beg him for minutes before he caves in to the toddler’s pleas, and his movements are always slow, like he’s unsure of himself. Takuto had asked his Papa about it once; his Papa had frozen and a sad smile found its way onto his face. “You haven’t done anything wrong,” his Papa had reassured him. “Tsurugi loves to hug you, he’s just not sure he’s doing it right.” Takuto had blinked, confused about how there could be a wrong way to hug. “Just be gentle with him, okay kiddo?” His Papa had asked him, and while Takuto didn’t entirely understand what his Papa meant, he knew that it had to be pretty important.

So he listens, and he’s always gentle when he hugs Papa Tsu-tsu; he doesn’t bury his head into his ribs like he does with his Papa or squeeze tight like he does with Papa Yumi. Instead, he loops his arms carefully around Tsurugi’s neck, nuzzling close against his adopted papa. Papa Tsu-tsu has a tendency to bury his face against Takuto’s shoulder, but the toddler doesn’t mind; he sits still as his papa holds him, listening to the rapid beat of Tsurugi’s heart and breathing in the smell of vanilla that clings to him. The shirts Papa Tsu-tsu wears are always old, years of wear and wash having made them soft.  
Takuto loves all his papa’s hugs, but none of them are his favorite kind.

His favorite hugs, by far, are the one’s where he’s sandwiched in between his three papas, and the mixed smells of cinnamon, mint, and vanilla all swirl and mix in his nose. When he reaches out, he can feel the silk of his Papa’s shirts, the fur of Papa Yumi’s jacket, the soft cotton of Papa Tsu-tsu’s old clothes. 

It’s warm in the giant group hug, but never uncomfortably so; Takuto can hear all three of his papa’s breaths and heartbeats that close, and he’s mesmerized by the sound, the feel, the closeness of it all. There’s something infinitely appealing about being trapped in a tangle of arms that he could escape even if he wanted to, smothered in laughs and affection and sensation by the one’s he cares about the most. There’s no place in the world where he feels more loved, after all.


	7. 365 Days Around the Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsurugi doesn't see the point in celebrating his own birthday. Jun and Yumi are of the opinion that nobody should be alone on their birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday Tsurugi! No lie, I put aside doing homework for my writing classes to finish this fic because Tsurugi deserves nice things in life and I will do my best to provide that for him.

August 31st passes mostly in silence.

Tsurugi hadn’t been scheduled to work that day and, having had nothing better to do, spent the entirety of it checking his phone every few minutes and napping sporadically.

He doesn’t know what he was expecting to get out of the day. His birthday has never been something he’s looked forward to every year; in the grand scheme of things, it’s insignificant. Touma had drilled that mindset into from day one.

He’s not special. He’s not important. He is a tool, and tools don’t matter to anyone, barely even matter to their owners.

Tsurugi isn’t overly fond of his birthday, if he’s going to be entirely honest. All it means is that another year has passed and nothing in his life has changed. What’s the point in celebrating that?

Still, there’s a knot in the pit of his stomach that’s been there all day and for the life of him, Tsurugi can’t quite identify why it’s there. He tells himself that it was something he ate earlier in the day, that his stomach will settle down eventually and that will be that. He curls up tighter in his sheets, burying his nose into his pillows and closing his eyes tightly. 

His friends don’t owe him anything. Yeah, he had figured he would at least get an obligatory ‘Happy birthday’ text from Jun and Yumi, but it’s not like they had to send one. It’s not like he was waiting for one.

He spends most of his birthdays alone, anyway.

_August 31st is a stupid day_ , he thinks to himself. Probably the stupidest day in the entire year.

A knock on his door startles him out of his melancholy thoughts. He glances over at his front door, running through a mental checklist of who could possibly need him this late at night.

Touma is the most logical choice. The knot in his stomach tightens at that particular thought, and as much as he doesn’t want to leave his blanket nest the hell he’ll catch if he leaves Touma waiting makes his blood run cold.

With slow and sluggish movements, Tsurugi drags himself from the warm safety of his bed and pads across cold wooden floorboard over to his door. “Coming,” he calls, just for the sake of noise in the dead silence of his apartment. He fumbles with the lock for a moment before he manages to undo it and open the door.

“Took you long enough,” Yumi snaps, pushing past him. He stops in the entryway and kicks his shoes off, before taking several long strides towards the kitchen.

“Hullo Papa Tsu-tsu!” The wind escapes Tsurugi’s lungs in a whoosh as he’s tackled by an energetic three year old. “Happy birfday!”

“Birthday,” Jun corrects gently, stepping fully into the hall and shutting the door behind him. “And Happy Birthday, Tsurugi,” he adds, as he steps carefully out of his own shoes.

“Thanks,” Tsurugi responds automatically, reaching down to scoop Takuto up in his arms. The toddler latches onto Tsurugi’s neck and plants a kiss on his cheek. “Is that my gift?” He asks, and Takuto gives him a toothy grin.

“No!” He says proudly, and then he clamps his mouth shut. “It’s a secret,” he continues, voice a warm whisper that tickles Tsurugi’s neck. 

Tsurugi’s brain is still trying to process what’s just happened. “A secret?” He parrots back, stepping to the side to let Jun pass by him. Takuto nods seriously, eyes wide and bright.

“You coming or not Jun?” Yumi yells from the kitchen. “You’re the one with all the supplies.”

Upon closer inspection of his friend, Tsurugi realizes that Yumi is right; Jun is in fact holding a number of plastic bags that seem to be filled with miscellaneous goods. He follows Yumi into the kitchen, setting the bags on the empty counter.

“I feel like I might be missing something,” Tsurugi says uncertainly, hefting Takuto further up on his hip. 

“Birfday party,” the toddler supplies helpfully, and Tsurugi almost drops him in shock. His fumble earns him a squeal of joy from Takuto and a warning glance from both Yumi and Jun.

“Oh,” he says weakly, heading to sit at the table before another incident happens. Takuto squirms so that he’s sitting in Tsurugi’s lap and looks expectantly at his father. Taking the hint, Jun digs through the bags to produce a set of crayons and a sketchbook. He hands them over to his son, who flips open the sketchbook and begins to doodle in it.

“Stand back: we’re going to cook.” Yumi declares, reaching back to tie his hair into a bun. He reaches around Jun to mess with the oven, turning it on with a quiet ‘click.’ Tsurugi doesn't’ have the sense of mind to try to stop him.

“Well, we’re going to see what happens,” Jun says with a shrug. “In theory, this will end with a cake.”

“Honestly guys, you don’t have to do this,” Tsurugi says, watching Jun and Yumi move around his kitchen. The protest is weak, even to his own ears, and his friends roll their eyes in synct. On his lap, Takuto scribbles intensely on the sketchpad.

“Yes we do,” Jun says firmly, unpacking the plastic bags he’d brought in with him. He pulls out a tub of frosting, eggs, milk, a box of strawberry cake mix, and a box set of plastic utensils. When he catches Tsurugi glancing at him, he grins sheepishly. “Listen, we never claimed to be fantastic chefs. If you want something made from scratch, you’ll have to ask my mom. ”

“But we’re not above poisoning you if you complain,” Yumi adds, bending over to dig through the drawers for a pan. “Damn, you don’t have _anything_ to cook with, do you?”

“I live alone,” Tsurugi points out defensively. “And you’re just blind Yumi-chan, there’s a cake tin in the drawer down there.”

The next hour or so is a cacophony of noise and smells as Jun and Yumi bustle around his kitchen measuring milk out into a bowl and cracking eggs. Every so often, Yumi swears under his breath and Jun flicks a bit of batter at him as punishment. Takuto colors away on his lap, eventually presenting him with a handmade drawing that is his actual birthday present. It’s a portrait of all four of them, smiling and surrounded by balloons. The words ‘Hape Birthday’ are scrawled on the bottom, and Tsurugi chest constricts, though the knot in his stomach loosens considerably. 

He accepts the card with a flourish and genuine smile, crushing Takuto against him in a hug, and Tsurugi loses himself in the mindless noise and warmth of his adopted family.

*

“Good news: the cake doesn’t seem like it’s going to kill us,” Yumi says, leaning back in his chair with a content sigh.

“I liked it!” Takuto declares with a broad smile. The three year old has a smear of frosting on his lip that Jun leans over to wipe it off with a napkin. “Did you, Papa Tsu-tsu?”

Three pairs of eyes turn to him expectantly, and for a second Tsurugi freezes. His kitchen is a mess and there are piles of dishes that need to be done now, but there’s a pretty decent strawberry cake sitting half eaten on his table and the hum of quiet breaths and voices to drown out the stifling silence of his apartment.

“It was delicious,” he says simply, and even Yumi’s perpetually grumpy expression softens at that. “Thank you,” he adds, voice soft with emotion.

Jun and Yumi exchange a glance, and then return his smile. “No problem,” Jun says, tossing the dirty napkin in his hand onto the table.

“Happy birthday you idiot,” Yumi says, standing up to clear the table.

The three of them end up staying the night; Tsurugi pulls out the guest futon for Jun and Takuto to share and Yumi crawls into bed with him, cuffing him upside the head when he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively at the other.

Soon, Takuto is snoring softly on the floor nearby and Tsurugi can feel Yumi’s warmth behind him as he stares at Jun’s motionless figure, wrapped around his son. The knot in his stomach has disappeared completely, and his mouth is still filled with the sweet taste of strawberry cake and plain vanilla icing. Tsurugi burrows back into his blankets for the second time that day, turning things over in his mind.

Fondly, he thinks he should’ve known that Jun and Yumi wouldn’t forget his birthday. His friends have always made a point to show how much they care about him, even if they’re awkward about it at times. 

He thinks about how Touma would have disapproved of such an impromptu party, and his mouth pulls down into a frown. His friends and Touma have never seen eye to eye on anything and secretly Tsurugi thinks that Jun and Yumi have a far better understanding of the world than Touma ever will.

Touma can think what he wants about his birthday, but Tsurugi likes his friends approach much more.

August 31st ends in same way that most of it passed, but it’s nothing like the silence from before. It’s warm and comforting and _loving_ and in the still of the room Tsurugi let’s himself be swept away by these feelings, and they lull him to sleep.


	8. Keep Calm and Polish On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who said that nail polish was only for girls anyway?

“Papa Yumi?” Takuto asks, voice pitched high with curiosity. He’s standing in the kitchen of Jun’s apartment, watching his two adopted father's closely.

“Hmm?” Yumi grunts in response, still preoccupied with tying his hair back properly.

“What’s on your hands?” The toddler asks, staring intently at his papa. Yumikage glances down at him.

“My hands?” He repeats, holding the appendages out in front of him.

“Yeah,” Takuto says, reaching out for one of Yumikages hands. The toddler points to his fingernails, which are covered in chipped teal nail polish. “What’s this?” Yumikage stiffens and Tsurugi snorts into his glass of water.

“Umm…” For once, Yumikage doesn’t have a handy response ready for Takuto’s endless questions. He glances helplessly at Tsurugi, who clears his throat before stepping in.

“It’s nail polish, Takuto-kun.” He says, and then squeals loudly when Yumi tackles him to the floor. “Yumi-chan, why?!” He yelps as Yumikage pins him down. “I was just answering the question!”

Takuto tilts his head in thought, ignoring the squabbling adults on the floor. “Nail polish,” he echoes, testing the words out carefully on his tongue. Yumi flops over with an anguished groan, face buried in his hands. “Is all nail polish blue?”

“No,” Tsurugi answers, scooting a safe distance away from his wrathful friend. “It comes in all colors Takuto-kun.” A strangled noise escapes from Yumi. He sits up, brushing his hair out of his face, which is bright pink.

The toddler looks the two of them over, then turns his attentive gaze to his own small hands. “Can I have some nail polish?” 

Both Yumikage and Tsurugi are dumbstruck by the question. Tsurugi recovers first, clutching his sides as giggles overwhelm him. “You’d have to ask Yumi-chan; he’s the one with all the nail polish!”

“Can I, Papa Yumi?” Takuto turns to Yumikage, bright eyed and almost vibrating with eagerness. “I wanna have nail polish like you!” His voice is sincere and he plops down on the floor next to Yumi. “Please?”

“Uh…” Yumi, uncharacteristically, is at a loss for words. “Are you sure about that kiddo?”

Takuto looks crestfallen. “Do you not want to Papa Yumi?”

Immediately Yumi reaches out to tug Takuto into a one armed hug. “I don’t mind painting your nails if that’s what you want,” he soothes. “Just not many guys like to wear nail polish. It’s...more of girl thing.” The blush is spreading up Yumi’s face, turning the tips of his ears pink.

“But you wear nail polish,” Takuto says, face scrunching up in confusion.

“He does,” Tsurugi confirms, reaching out to place one of his hands on top of Yumi’s. “Yumi-chan is brave like that; nail polish isn’t made only for girls.” He says. Yumi elbows him, but there’s not a whole lot of force behind it.

“I wanna be brave too!” Takuto holds his hands out for Yumi to take.

“Alright, alright,” Yumi says, grabbing the toddler's hands. “I’ll paint your nails.” Takuto and Tsurugi cheer in unison, and Yumi smirks at his friend. “And then we’ll paint Tsurugi’s as well. Anyone can wear nail polish, after all.” Takuto cheers again and Tsurugi fixes Yumi with a wounded stare. He recovers quickly enough.

“Fine,” he says cheerfully, not the least bit phased. “But I want hot pink nails.”

*

“I’m sorry, but what is happening in my living room right now?” Jun lets the door to his apartment shut as he takes in the scene before him.

“Makeover,” Tsurugi says by way of explanation, leaning back on the sofa. “Yumi-chan is making us both _beautiful_ ,” he declares, complete with a dramatic gesture of his hands.

“Watch out!” Yumi snarls. “One, I’m not going to fix your nails if you smudge them, two, it’s not your furniture you’d be ruining.”

“Tsurugi, if you get nail polish on my couch so help me god!” Jun threatens, dropping his bag on the floor. Obediently, Tsurugi places his hands back in his lap, safely away from the upholstery. “And whose idea was it to have a makeover?”

“Mine,” Takuto says, peering around Yumi to look at his father. It’s amusing how fast the disapproval disappears from Jun. 

“Don’t move,” Yumi chides gently, and Takuto immediately stills. “I’m almost done.” Yumikage has Takuto’s hand in his lap and a bottle of dark green nail polish sitting on the end table near him. With a careful eye, he runs the brush over Takuto’s fingernails, coating them evenly in the forest green color. 

Jun wanders over to the three of them, settling himself down next to his son. “That’s a nice color,” he says, leaning down to look at Takuto’s nails.

“Papa Yumi pickeded it for me,” Takuto says proudly. Yumi keeps his eyes downward, but it’s hard to miss the way his shoulders straighten in pleasure.

“A color from your personal collection, Yumi?” Jun teases gently. Yumi sits up straight, blowing lightly on Takuto's tacky nails.

“Yes,” he says shamelessly. He screws to cap back on to the green polish before turning to his friend with an appraising look. “You’re turn,” he informs Jun, holding his hand out expectantly.

Takuto stares wide eyed at his father and even Tsurugi lifts his head up from the couch to watch his friends reaction. Jun hesitates for a brief moment, before surrendering his hand with a sigh. “Be gentle with me.”

“I’m always gentle,” Yumi responds, accepting Jun’s hand. Tsurugi snorts as Yumi turns to dig through the makeup bag nestled against his leg. “Shut up Tsurugi,” he orders as he pulls out a bottle of red nail polish.

“I don’t know if that’s Jun-chan’s color,” Tsurugi answers. “What do you think Takuto?” The toddler scoots forward to get a better look at the vial of polish.

“If Papa Yumi pickeded it, than I think it’s good,” he says simply. 

“Red nails it is,” Jun says, leaning back to get comfy. “But if you’re going this far Yumi, then you’re going to have to touch up your own nails.” 

“Yeah Yumi, no slacking!” Tsurugi says brightly. “In fact, Takuto and I will do them for you,” he offers, lips curled up in a wicked grin.

“I wouldn’t trust you with my nail polish if you were the last person on this earth,” Yumi deadpans. Takuto looks briefly wounded before Yumi inclines his head in the three year olds direction. “Takuto can do it on his own.” 

Jun sighs again as Takuto smiles broadly.

*

The next day at work, Shuuhei’s face is priceless when the feared Mad Dogs of C3 show up proudly sporting freshly painted nails. Jun’s and Tsurugi’s are much neater; there’s a good deal of extra polish on the sides of Yumi’s fingers, and the coat of polish looks lumpy in spots. The look on his face dares the younger man to say anything about it, and Shuuhei wisely holds his tongue.

At least, he does until Tsurugi suggests that Yumi paint his nails as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will live and die by beauty queen Yumikage.


End file.
